The present invention concerns a shoe primarily for dance that is simple in construction, easy to manufacture and has an elastic connection between the front portion of the shoe, which extends beneath the toes and up to at least near the arch, and the rear portion of the shoe which extends at least from near the rear of the arch and under the heel. The separated front and rear portions of the shoe are connected by a shank. Shanks of elastic material are disclosed in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,362,010 shows a shoe with separated front and rear portions connected together, but without any elasticity in the part connecting them.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,554,749 and 2,252,315 show shoes with separated front and rear portions connected by an elastic material, and there is an elastic shank between the completely separated front and rear portions. An elastic material, expandable shank is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,099, with an elastic connecting portion between the front and rear portions of the shoes, which would include a shank, can be seen in French Patent No. 1,266,620.